1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle brake apparatus that employs a brake-by-wire system.
2. Background Information
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 11-348759 discloses a conventional vehicle brake apparatus utilizing a brake-by-wire system in which a fluid pressure is supplied to wheel cylinders by using pumps or the like to generate a braking force that corresponds to a braking force requested by a driver, while channels from a master cylinder to the wheel cylinders are closed off. In the conventional brake-by-wire system, the channels from the master cylinder to the wheel cylinders are opened during a fail-safe operation so that the fluid pressure of the master cylinder is supplied to the wheel cylinders to ensure braking force.
Furthermore, the conventional vehicle brake apparatus disclosed in the above mentioned reference is configured to diagnose abnormalities in the pumps by operating the pumps and monitoring the fluid pressure discharged toward the wheel cylinders while the channels from the pumps to the wheel cylinders are closed off by valves when the driver is not braking the vehicle.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved vehicle brake apparatus. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.